Top 10 Fascinating facts about Sehzade Mehmed

Sehzade Mehmed’s tomb photo by George William Henry Charles II-Wikimedia Commons.

Top 10 Fascinating facts about Sehzade Mehmed

Şehzade Mehmed was born on the 31st of October 1521 in Old Palace, Istanbul. He was an Ottoman prince who served as the governor of Manisa from the 12th of November 1542 to the 7th of November 1543.

His reign was cut short after his untimely demise whose causes raised speculations. He was the favored son of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.  Sehzade’s mother Hurrem Sultan was the chief consort who greatly influenced her husband to bestow high-ranking positions for her sons.

After his unfortunate death, his father mourned and lamented the death of his favored son. Sehzade only had one child before his death whose custody was given to his mother. Films have been created in his honor. Here are 10 Fascinating facts about Sehzade Mehmed:

1. He served as Governor of Manisa

Manisa is a city in Turkey’s Aegean Region and serves as the administrative seat of Manisa Province. It was historically known as Magnesia and was the central town of the Ottoman Empire’s Saruhan sanjak.

Manisa became the training ground for crown princes known locally as the Shahzades. The city stood out as one of the wealthiest parts of the Empire with many examples of Ottoman architecture built around it.

In 1437 fifteen members of the Ottoman dynasty held the administration of the city and of its dependencies in seventeen near-continuous periods until 1595.

Süleyman the magnificent served as the sultan and appointed his son Sehzade Mehmed to serve as the governor of the city. Sehzade was in office for around 12 months.

2. His father was Suleiman the Magnificent

Suleiman the Magnificent also known as Suleiman the Lawgiver was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

He became a prominent monarch of 16th-century Europe, presiding over the apex of the Ottoman Empire’s economic, military and political power. He personally led Ottoman armies in conquering the Christian strongholds. 

In addition, the Ottoman fleet dominated the seas from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and through the Persian Gulf. Under his administration, the Ottoman Empire ruled over at least 25 million people.

He broke the Ottoman tradition by marrying a woman from his harem, an Orthodox Christian of Ruthenian origin. His wife Hürrem Sultan converted to Islam and birthed Selim II who succeeded Suleiman after the other potential heirs had died.

3. Mehmed’s father favored him and appointed him his heir contrary to the tradition

Suleiman favored Sehzade more than the rest of his children and it was evident. Sehzade often resided in the capital unless he accompanied his father’s campaigns.

Mustafa Suleiman’s first son was appointed the governor of Manisa while Mehmed remained campaigned for Corfu. Upon their return to the capital Mehmed, Suleiman’s second and most loved son was appointed the governor of Manisa.

This was contrary to their tradition because this meant Suleiman’s heir was no longer his first son Mustafa. Suleiman’s decision was under high influence of his chief consort.

4. He was born in Old Palace, during Suleiman’s campaign with Rhodes

The Old Palace also known as Eski Saray was built after the Ottoman conquest of İstanbul. It was the first palace constructed and had taken the place of a Byzantine monastery and church that was situated on the airy hill.

Its construction began in 1454 and was completed in 1457. The old palace was often used by women like the former sultan’s mother, his sister, etc.

Şehzade Mehmed was born in the Old Palace during Suleiman’s campaign to Rhodes. There were massive celebrations after his birth in the camp with sacrifices and the distribution of alms.

5. His mother Hurrem Sultan was an Orthodox priest’s daughter

Hurrem Sultan was the chief consort and legal wife of the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. She was an orthodox Christian of Ruthenian origin and a priest’s daughter.

Initially, she was a slave born in Ukraine and later was freed and became Suleiman’s legal wife. The Sultan broke the Ottoman tradition and married her from his harem. She then converted to Muslim and became one of the most powerful and influential women in Ottoman history.

She was also known as Roxelana was a well prominent and controversial figure during the era known as the Sultanate of Women.

6. His younger brother Prince Selim succeeded Suleiman the Lawgiver

Prince Şehzade Selim was the second son of Hurrem Sultana and Suleiman I. He was appointed the governor of Karaman in 1542. After Mehmed’s death, Selim replaced him as the governor of Manisa.

He went ahead and succeed his father after his death in September 1566. Suleiman had initially intended for Sehzade Mehmed to succeed him before he died. Sehzade had been described to showcase piercing intellect and a subtle judgment.

7. His father composed an elegy for him

An elegy is a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead. Suleiman was distraught after his son’s death.

Mehmed was beloved and described as a prince of more exquisite qualities than even Mustafa by Derviş Mehmed Zillî the explorer who traveled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands.

Suleiman composed a poem for Mehmed and ended the poem with the line iconic words “Most distinguished of the princes, my Sultan Mehmed“.

8. He died presumably from smallpox

Mehmed fell ill in Manisa on Wednesday, 31 October, and died shortly after, on the 7th of November 1543. The cause of death is presumed to be smallpox. Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by the variola virus.

The earliest evidence of the disease dates to around 1500 BCE in Egyptian mummies. It is estimated to have killed up to 500 million people in the last 100 years of its existence. The following day, Lala Pasha and Defterdar İbrahim Çelebi took his body to Istanbul.

9. A mosque was built in his honor after his death

After Sehzade’s death, Suleiman mourned for his beloved son and composed an elegy for him. In addition, he instructed the famed imperial architect Mimar Sinan to build the Şehzade Mosque in Istanbul to commemorate Mehmed.

The 16th-century Ottoman imperial mosque is located in the district of Fatih, on the third hill of Istanbul. It is sometimes referred to as the “Prince’s Mosque” in English

10. Sehzade only had one child before his demise

Sehzade died at the age of 21. He had a daughter called Hümaşah Sultan. The ottoman princess was born in 1543 and was identified as Aya Hatun by Alderson in The Structure of Ottoman Dynasty. Hümaşah was taken care of by her grandmother after her father’s demise.